As the new year gets underway, a question is echoing ever louder through the corridors of our Propaganda Factory: what will the trends in the world of communication be in 2025? Well, we’re directly involved, of course, so we have every reason in the world to ask ourselves this. But it’s not just a matter of curiosity or professional necessity.
Over the last two years, in fact, we have all witnessed a veritable revolution: artificial intelligence has turned creative processes on their head, social media has rewritten its own rules, and data privacy has become an absolute priority. But this is only the beginning, because what awaits us in 2025 is even more revolutionary.
Artificial Intelligence is redefining creative jobs
If we think ChatGPT has already changed everything, we’d better brace ourselves. Because we haven’t seen anything yet. In 2024, we learnt to ask AI to write posts and captions, but 2025 will reveal the true potential of artificial intelligence in the world of communication.
AI tools are already evolving from simple assistants into genuine strategic collaborators, but beware: artificial intelligence will not replace creatives. On the contrary, it will make the human touch even more valuable.
The companies that will shine will be those capable of finding the perfect alchemy between technology and human creativity, going beyond today’s convenient but somewhat limited trend of asking Gen-AI (generative AI) tools hundreds of questions to find answers, inspiration and new ideas on a wide range of topics – a phenomenon known as ‘Ask AI’.
If you’re wondering, the answer is definitely yes. This image was created using artificial intelligence.
Video marketing is becoming hyper-personalised
“Video is the future of online communication and marketing.” How many times have we heard that phrase? And how many times have we read statistics telling us that video has been the dominant form of content for several years now? We know by now that users are reading less and less, but watching more and more videos.
According to a report by Synthesia, TikTok users spend an average of 90 minutes a day on the platform, and when a video features a person speaking in an overlay against a background, there is an 80% chance that the user will stop to watch it. Why is this happening? We discussed the psychological reasons behind, among other things, the latest updates to social media algorithms in an article in our MAG.
Yet what lies ahead goes far beyond that. Imagine you’re on Instagram or TikTok and come across a sponsored video (an effective use of digital marketing) that pops up on your screen. The person in the video greets you by name, tells you that the pair of shoes you’ve just been browsing on that e-commerce site is now 50% off, and invites you to use a discount code to take advantage of the offer. You’re surprised, a bit taken aback, but you give it some thought. Meanwhile, another video pops up for the friend sitting next to you. Here too, the person speaking knows their name. They tell them that the hoodie they were looking at yesterday is back in stock, and that if they buy it by 10 pm, they’ll get a free T-shirt.
It may sound like science fiction, but it isn’t: this is the future of hyper-personalised video marketing, another trend that we believe will transform communication by 2025, where artificial intelligence and data analytics come together to create unique video experiences for every viewer. But doesn’t all this… put people’s privacy at risk?
Data privacy is becoming the new gold
2025 will, in fact, be the year in which data management becomes even more sophisticated and strategic. With new data privacy regulations coming into force in various parts of the world and growing consumer awareness of their digital rights, companies will need to completely rethink their approach to data collection and usage.
But don’t be fooled: this evolution is not a constraint, it is an opportunity. The most innovative companies are already developing strategies based on a new paradigm, known as ‘privacy-first communication’. It is no longer about collecting as much data as possible, but about creating a transparent dialogue with users, where every piece of data shared has a clear and mutual value.
This is the real paradigm shift we will see in data privacy by 2025: a trend in which corporate communication will shift from an approach based on data volume to one founded on trust and mutual value.
Sustainability: from trend to necessity
Speaking of trust: what’s your reaction when your favourite brand undertakes sustainable initiatives and talks about them in an interview, a press release or a video? You don’t have to answer straight away – just think about it. Good. Now let’s ask you another question: what goes through your mind when, instead, the subject of such a news story is a fast-fashion multinational from which you would never buy anything?
By 2025, simply talking about sustainability will no longer be enough: it will need to be demonstrated. The data aggregator Business Dasher has published a report summarising the shift in consumer habits over the last five years, highlighting how consumers are becoming increasingly discerning, critical and able to distinguish greenwashing from genuine green initiatives. Looking at just some of the data collected, we note that: 72% of consumers said they buy more eco-friendly products than they did five years ago; online searches for sustainable products have increased by 71% over five years; 62% of consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to help reduce their environmental impact.
The real challenge? Integrating this trend into every aspect of corporate communications by 2025, from content creation to distribution. Companies will increasingly begin to measure and communicate the environmental impact of their digital campaigns. Not least because, yes, digital technology does pollute, a lot: [“How much does digital technology pollute?”]
No longer just a trend, but a new approach to communication: 2025 is already here
The communications revolution is not a distant prospect: it is already happening. The companies that will survive are those capable of adapting quickly, experimenting fearlessly and, above all, putting authenticity at the heart of everything they do.
As we always say at the agency, technological innovation must serve human creativity, not the other way round. True success lies in finding the right balance between automation and personalisation, between efficiency and empathy, between computing power and human ingenuity.
Would you like to find out what we can do for your company in 2025? Drop by for a chat over a good cup of coffee, or let’s arrange a free video call: fill in the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
